The Ideal Kenya Safari--Only with Abercrombie & Kent
Sep 18 '00
This past March (2000), my family and I opted to vacation to Kenya on a safari with Abercrombie and Kent Tour Company. This trip was unlike anything I've ever experienced before--it is the trip of a lifetime. Our 10-day safari began in London where we had a dayroom and spent the day traveling around. After flying to Kenya, we were greeted by two A&K Nairobi Representatives who drove us to the Air Kenya airport (not Jomo Kenyatta International), where a smaller plane would take us and the rest of our group of 15 to our first hotel stop.
Mount Kenya Safari Lodge was, in one word, breathtaking. It included an animal orphanage with African and domestic animals, a spa, golf course, pool, and a wonderful restaurant. The hotel was operated by the estate of the late William Holden, who had such a love for the place that he bought it soon after visiting. Holden was not the only celebrity to ever visit Mount Kenya--Barbara Bush, in fact, was staying there at the same time as us. The rooms were also very nice, but I don't particularly recommend the odd, step-in showers. The rooms weren't even rooms but rather cabins that you shared with another couple. After spending one night in Mount Kenya, our group proceeded on a 3 hour scenic drive across the Great Rift Valley to our next stop, Samburu Serena Lodge.
This was one of my favorite places! The game drives (drives where we went out into the plains in Range Rovers looking for game) started now. We went in the morning and saw many cheetah, elephant, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, and warthog. The two days we spent at the Samburu Serena Lodge were spectacular--great food, great game, and even a visit to a Samburu village and a village member who came to speak one night at our hotel (His name was Mark and he wanted to be part of Congress someday.) The rooms (a.k.a. tented cabins) were....interesting... To prepare you for these, they're basically a tent with foundation and furniture. You will, however, be glad to hear that each cabin of 2 or 3 has their own shower...no communal ones, folks. Also, instead of having a different housekeeping staff member every day clean our tent, it was the same one, and we kind of got to know him. He had a glass eye and he brought me hot chocolate in the mornings! After our two days in Samburu, we continued on to Sweetwaters.
In case you might be (probably are) unaware, Sweetwaters is Jane Goodall's chimp place. There is a chimp reserve near the hotel that, if you take this tour, you will get a chance to visit them. They really are cute. You can even adopt one (well, you know, not really, but...) or you can pay to plant a tree. The hotel itself? More tented cabins! So basically the same as Samburu in that aspect. It did have this moat type thing around the hotel so animals couldn't attack, and oftentimes you could see rhinos, etc. drinking from the moat. That was pretty cool. The food here was also good, and Sweetwater actually had a TV (with 1 Kenyan channel, but hey, it's TV), but don't expect much besides warthogs in the way of animals on your 1 game drive in Sweetwaters. The best is yet to come.
The Masai Mara was definitely the highlight of the trip, and they were smart to save the best for last. Buy lots of film at the gift shop--you'll need it on the game drives because of all them were so filled with animals--this is where the lions are. Oh, one piece of advice--get SHABAAN as your driver. He kicks @$$!! He finds all these good animals. The rooms--more tented cabins. This place probably has the best food of all the hotels (besides Nairobi), and it also had a nice, modern pool along with a nice gift shop. Try a Tusker Beer while you're there. There is also a nice river (that was actually pretty dry while we were there) that had abuot 80 (I'm not exaggerating) hippos all together. Monkeys also live in the other side of the river, but beware! They're really loud. My advice--Bring earplugs, or save yours from the plane ride. The two days here were two of the most adventurous ever.
This itinerary is the trip of a lifetime. If one of your "things to do before I die" is go to Africa, this is how it should be done. Attaway to go, A&K. (Abercrombie and Kent's website can be visited <a href= http://www.abercrombiekent.com>here</a> )
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Epinions.com ID:
mrb129
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Member: Molly
Location: Dallas, TX
Reviews written: 130
Trusted by: 59 members
About Me:
I will be gone July 6-August 10; have a good summer all!
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